


the harder the rain, the sweeter the sun

by writeblrdotcom



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Family Dynamics, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Lowercase, basically a fixit fic?, except if the canon ending is the bad ending, its not too angsty or fluffy but it has some moments, this is probably the neutral ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:54:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27631021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writeblrdotcom/pseuds/writeblrdotcom
Summary: wilbur can remember countless times when he wanted phil at his side, but it wasn’t supposed to be like this.(in which wilbur has regrets and tommy struggles with forgiveness)
Relationships: Wilbur Soot & Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit
Comments: 4
Kudos: 113





	the harder the rain, the sweeter the sun

**Author's Note:**

> the title is from no plan by hozier!  
> also, techno doesn’t spawn the withers in this fic. for plot reasons

what feels like a lifetime ago, wilbur was fighting for his new country. he remembers looking at fundy and wishing that phil could meet him. he remembers after they won the war, when he’d wake up from awful nightmares and long for phil to calm him down. he remembers when he was banished from manburg, when he looked around at his two brothers and thought that they were only missing their father. he remembers, in between fantasies of manburg’s ruins, wondering if phil would be proud of him.

wilbur can remember countless times when he wanted phil at his side, but it wasn’t supposed to be like this.

“it was never meant to be,” wilbur finds himself saying, pushing the button on the wall and turning to see phil’s reaction.

phil looks shocked. defeated. as if he was the one who built all of l’manburg, only to have it be blown to pieces. when his eyes meet wilbur’s, he’s clearly disappointed. wilbur hates seeing phil disappointed.

explosions still sound in the distance, and wilbur turns to see what he’s done. it looks awful.

maybe it’s because his father is here, or maybe it’s because finally setting off the tnt makes him snap out of it, but wilbur realises what he’s done. his heart seems to stop beating for a moment, his breath catches. he’s made a really bad decision, no doubt about it.

phil still stands there. wilbur hands him a sword. phil doesn’t take it, so wilbur drops it to the floor at his feet. it clatters when it hits the stone.

“kill me, phil.” his request is simple, straight to the point. he knows it’s what has to be done. everyone in l’manburg probably hates him now, they all want him dead. he can’t blame them. “kill me.”

phil shakes his head rapidly. “no. i- i can’t, you’re my son. no matter what you’ve done—” he takes a breath. “you’ll always be my son.”

wilbur feels like crying. “ _ kill me. _ ” it’s less a request this time and more a demand. still, phil refuses. wilbur doesn’t understand; can’t he see that something like this might happen again? with wilbur dead, they can make sure it doesn’t. it’s what’s best.

“do it,” wilbur pleads. phil stares at him for a long moment before he picks up the sword, gripping the handle tightly. he sighs, and throws it out through the new opening in the room where the explosions blasted the rock away.

wilbur laughs softly, humourlessly. “that’s the wrong direction, philza.”

phil doesn’t laugh with him. instead he turns to wilbur and rushes forward, pulling the younger into a tight hug.

wilbur stumbles backwards, caught off-guard, before finding himself melting into the embrace.

after a few seconds, wilbur lets go and crumples to the ground. phil follows him, a hand on his shoulder.

“why?” wilbur asks, his voice breaking slightly. “how can you forgive me? i’m an awful person. everyone here knows that, they want me dead, just do it.”

“will. listen to me— look.” wilbur looks up. “you’re not a bad person. you fucked up, yeah, but we all do. no one makes good decisions all the time, alright? i know this is really bad but- but you’re still a good person.” phil’s voice is comforting, soothing and familiar. he again wraps his arms around the taller man, and wilbur finally lets himself cry.

wilbur still doesn’t quite get it. he doesn’t quite know how phil cares about him, even after all he’s done.

he thinks about fundy. about how wilbur always loved him, always felt a swell of pride in his chest when he looked at the boy. he thinks about fundy telling schlatt he wasn’t wilbur’s son, and how he watched fundy tear down the walls he built. he thinks about how, despite insisting that fundy wasn’t his son anymore, he still loved him as much as he always did.

slowly, wilbur begins to understand.

tommy and tubbo are the first to find them. wilbur can’t tell how long it’s been, but his tears are starting to dry and he feels a little less heavy. the boys both look surprised to see phil, and tommy is refusing to look at wilbur.

“tommy…” wilbur starts. he isn’t sure where he’s going, but he needs to say something. “tommy, i- i’m sorry, i know that doesn’t do anything and i already pressed the button and i know i shouldn’t have, i’m sorry, i fucked up and there’s nothing we can do about it and i don’t expect any forgiveness but i’m so sorry—” he chokes up, unable to say any more without crying again. he notices tubbo quietly leaving, aware that this isn’t something he should be interrupting.

tommy doesn’t show signs of forgiveness, and wilbur accepts it. he promises, swears on his life that he’ll never hurt tommy again, and tommy nods.

as the sun sets, they set out to find a place to rest for the night and they find techno along the way. as they settle down that night, for the first time in ages, the three brothers finally have their father.

a month after l’manburg’s explosion, the four of them are living in their own house. it looks similar to the one they had as kids, bringing back memories of chases down hallways and laughter in the air. but now they’ve all changed, and the atmosphere is mostly tense now. almost unfamiliar.

two months later, everything seems alright again. they’ve relearned how to open up to each other, they remember how to laugh freely. they aren’t perfect, not at all back to normal, but it’s closer.

on the third month, wilbur leaves his room late at night to get a glass of water. he pauses when he hears voices from the main room.

“i- i want to forgive him, but i  _ can’t. _ i don’t know why, and i’ve thought about it a lot, but i don’t know. i just can’t do it.” the voice belongs to tommy. “fuck, i love him, phil, but i can’t bring myself to forgive him.”

phil speaks next. “i understand. he messed up, he hurt you. it’s okay if you can’t forgive him yet. it takes time.”

it’s a moment before wilbur realises they’re talking about him. quickly, as silently as he can, he returns to his room.

it takes five months after l’manburg for tommy to forgive him.

he asks wilbur to talk. he enters tommy’s room, where the blond is sitting on his bed, fidgeting with his hands.

“i, uh, i know it’s been a while, but i wanted to say that i- i forgive you now. for blowing up l’manburg, and dragging me into it. i know you’re sorry, and i’m- i’m sorry for taking so long, but i forgive you.” he’s stuttering, he’s never been the best at feelings, but it still warms wilbur’s heart. he pulls his younger brother into a hug, and tommy hugs back, and they’re okay.

a year after the explosion, the country has been rebuilt. not exactly to its former glory, but rebuilt nonetheless. although wilbur and tommy could live in their old houses, they decide to stay with techno and phil. it feels good, the four of them living together after all this time. it isn’t the same, now that they’re older, but they’re comfortable with each other again and they’re happy. tubbo visits frequently, since he and tommy are inseparable, and he feels like part of the family too. fundy is there often as well, and phil quickly grows to love the boy. at night, wilbur tends to lie awake in bed, grinning as he thinks of how much he loves his family. he regrets his past actions, more than anything, but he’ll admit he’s more than happy with how it turned out.

he thinks, as he shuts his eyes, that perhaps it  _ was _ meant to be.


End file.
